Pollination Pointers

Apples will be blooming shortly, and beekeepers will be delivering rental hives to orchards to complete this critical task. As you plan for pollination, here are some facts to consider:

• Larger apples result when pollen is sourced from more than 1 apple cultivar.
  
• A bloom requires 8 - 24 visits by pollinators.
  
• A well-designed orchard reduces the number of bee visits required.
  
• In higher density orchards, pollinators do not generally move more than 3 - 4 rows across the orchard.
  
• Pollen tends to travel only a few trees down the row.

Here are some tips for using honeybees effectively:

• Request that your beekeeper provide strong, healthy colonies. Weak colonies are of little value if cool temperatures prevail.
  
• 2 to 3 colonies of honeybees per hectare generally provide satisfactory pollination.
  
• Protect beehives from cold spring winds. Place the colonies is larger groupings in sunny, shelter locations. If a natural windbreak is not available, erect a temporary one eg. A wall of straw bales or orchard bins.
  
• Situate the colonies so that the morning sun warms the entrance.
  
• Provide fresh water especially if the bloom season is dry. Floating sticks in a shallow tub will allow bees to land without drowning.
  
• Watch for open water that is contaminated eg. puddles near your sprayer loading area.

Protect your bees from poisoning. It is an offence under the Bees Act to apply insecticides while fruit trees are in bloom. Here are some other things to protect bees:

• Advise local beekeepers if insecticides will be applied (fields within 1 km of hives). Generally they will require a day's notice to remove hives from danger.
  
• Do not spray insecticides on any flowering crop where bees are foraging.
  
• If sprays are needed in neighbouring fields, avoid daytime applications. Bees return to their hives in early evening, so spraying after 7 pm is the safest. Early morning would be the next choice, but should be completed by 7 am.
  
• Bees do not forage at temperatures below 13ºC.
  
• Wet bags in the hive entrance will disrupt bee flights for up to 12 hours to provide time for the spray to dry. Leave a 1 inch space on each side of the hive for bees to exit to cool the hive.
  
• Be aware of cover crops in bloom or with blooming weeds- this is the most common source of bee poisonings when insecticides are applied.
  
• Avoid insecticide spray drift by avoiding windy days.
  
• Remove bees ASAP at the end of bloom before petal fall sprays are applied.
  
• Choose insecticides that are less toxic to bees. See Table 9-4, Relative Toxicity of Pesticides to Honey Bees on page 193, Publication 360. Fruit Production Recommendations. Here are the products most toxic to bees: Actara, Admire, Agri-Mek, Alias, Cygon, Decis, Diazinon, Entrust, Furadan, GF-120, Guthion, Imidan, Lagon, Lannate, Lorsban, Malathion, Matador, Nexter, Orthene, Pounce, Pyramite, Ripcord, Sevin, Success, Sniper, and Vydate.